Tapani Sector
= Tapani Sector = The Tapani sector was a sector located in the Colonies. It was named after Shey Tapani, who united the sector thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, though the sector itself had been colonized 12,720 BBY. Seven provinces made up the Expanse: Barnaba Province, Cadriaan Province, Calipsa Province, Mecetti Province, Melantha Province, Pelagia Province, and Reena Province. Each province was ruled by a noble house. The sector included the Freeworlds region which was not ruled by nobility. In or around 3 ABY the Empire split off the Freeworlds into a new sector called the Shapani sector. The Giju Run spurred from the Rimma Trade Route and into Tapani sector intersecting the Shapani Bypass. Other routes were the Three Ellas Run, the Procopian Shipping Lane, Cor Lane, Calipsa Run, the Leozi Route and the Caloria Run. Nobility The population of the Expanse is divided into two socio-economic classes: the nobility and the common people. There were approximately 345 noble families that were in existence in one form or another since the Dynastic Era. Some changed associations as houses fell and others rose through the centuries. New noble families were generally not admitted into a house. The registry of noble families had remained static since the days of the Dynastic era. There were two exceptions to this rule. When a house died out or was absorbed the families from that house could petition for admittance into the other house. Several Pelagian families were absorbed into House Cadriaan and Calipsa during the aftermath of the Mecetti Purge. The second exception was in reference to House Cadriaan during the Imperial era, when they offered hereditary titles and membership to wealthy commoners in exchange for a sizable financial contribution. Some were even granted the rank of Baron and Lord. While in most of the Old Republic the idea of universal suffrage and equality existed the philosophy in the Tapani Sector continued over the millennia that the right to rule belonged to the well-born. Both nobles and commons subscribe to this point of view. This may explain how the Tapani citizens adapted so well to the emergence of the Empire and why the Rebel Alliance had trouble fanning the flames of dissent in the sector. The Tapani nobility considered it subversive to seek power and influence through gaining popularity among the commoners or by serving the selfish needs of the least educated and less informed members of the nobility. Although there were a number of charismatic leaders in the Tapani Sector over the centuries very few have attempted to lead a public uprising against the established noble class and the few that did take place were unsuccessful. Those who attempted to harness populist issues are shunned by all social classes. Noble life Although nobles were equal to commoners in law the well-born enjoyed honors and privileges rarely extended to others on a less formal and official level. Even the lower ranked knight expected a certain degree of respect from the common citizen although the real favor was reserved for the barons and lords of the nobility. The noble elite were accustomed to special treatment wherever they traveled in the Tapani sector. They did not typically have to wait in line except behind higher-ranked nobles. They did not generally need to make reservations at exclusive restaurants, stadiums and concert halls since the proprietors would remove commoners from reservations lists in favor of noble customers. Nobles were also invited to evaluate complementary new products in the hope that they would receive their endorsement. This practice was frowned upon by some in noble society as a front to their dignity but many younger nobles often jump at the chance to get their hands on the latest toys for free. The privileges of celebrity inevitably had consequences. More prominent nobles get little privacy when traveling. There were special sections in the newsnet media that focused on following the daily lives of popular nobles waiting for something newsworthy to report. This treatment was less of a problem for lesser nobles who lived in relative obscurity. The media was not typically interested in house knights unless they had distinguished themselves, such as being great warriors. Noble Houses *House Barnaba *House Barong *House Cadriaan *House Calipsa *House Mecetti *House Melantha *House Melissus *House Pelagia **House Pelagia was a coalition of noble families that controlled the Pelagia Province of the Tapani Sector. House Pelagia held greater esteem for honor and dignity than the other houses of the Expanse. Assassinations were strongly discouraged and lying was a undesirable trait. As a result Pelagian nobles tended to be masters of spin and were adept at manipulating the truth to suit their needs. ***Known House Members: Captain [[Lucky|Richard Lucky Tan]] *House Reena Title and Rank There were three levels of aristocratic rank within Tapani society: Knight (Sir/Dame), Baron/Baroness and Lord/Lady. All members of the nobility were addressed either by name or rank. The wife of a knight, baron and lord was addressed as Dame, Baroness and Lady respectively. In general a noble of lesser rank was required to observe the etiquette when addressing a higher ranked noble. A noble of higher rank could chose to observe the forms of address although they might elect to ignore them by whim or to put an inferior in their place. Knight Knights were the lowest rank of Tapani nobility. They typically owned property and work in the House hierarchy but rarely held significant house assets. Many knights were relatively poor and had to send their sons and daughters out to make their own fortune. For a noble-born knight the title was hereditary and they could elevate their position by gaining a high-ranking sponsor on the Privy council who bestowed a baronhood. A high-born knight might also better their station by performing some great service to the house that gains the attention of a prominent noble. It was possible for commoners to attain the rank of Knight by an act of the house Privy council. These so called "petty knights" could hold house assets and marry high-born nobles but their title was not hereditary. Knights were addressed as 'Sir' and their wives as 'Dame'. Baron Barons were a higher noble class than knights and typically hailed from the house's better families with long and honored histories. They frequently held significant house assets such as military armories, spy networks, manufacturing plants, sea fisheries and agricultural combines. A baron or baroness usually had a manor on their land and a small property on Procopia. The title is hereditary and no commoner could be raised to baronhood, even a petty knight. The children of petty knights, however, become a baron if they themselves were raised to nobility. Lord The Lords and Ladies of the Tapani expanse were the highest rank of nobility. They hailed from the most powerful house families and held the majority of house assets. They were were appointed to run significant house activities such as the command of military assets, running prominent house businesses and the making key economic decisions. All lords had opulent palaces on at least one of the house worlds and often a palace on Procopia. There were no financially poor lords. The most powerful of the house Lords were termed High Lords and they would lead the house Privy Council. = Noble code of conduct = The nobles of the Tapani sector adhere to a code of conduct that sought to hold them to higher standards than common citizens. While individual houses had their own interpretation on how their nobles should conduct themselves in public, all agreed on certain common aspects that made up the informal but important code of conduct for nobles. While lying was considered acceptable and even essential in some circumstances, a noble was expected to never break their word overtly. To do so was said to be equivalent to spitting on one's high lord and brought dishonor and disgrace to the individual noble, their family and house. The punishments for nobles that were caught breaking their word, either privately or publicly , were significant. At a minimum, they were shunned by the nobles of every house, and they were often banished from Tapani for several years. Consequently, a noble's word was not given lightly. Stealing and cheating were other severe offenses against the noble code and were considered more serious crimes than murder. Although murder was frowned upon in noble society it was accepted as a viable method of dealing with intractable issues. Although murder was illegal in the Tapani and Imperial courts, nobles tended to cooperate in concealing their own messes and therefore cases tended not to reach court. The exceptions to this tendency were patricide and fratricide: extremely serious infractions against the noble social order. There were obviously scoundrels among the ranks of the noble classes but they were careful to hide their dark deeds from society. Since there were serious consequences of a noble being found lacking in honor, questioning their word was dangerous. Traditionally there were two options for a noble whose honor had been challenged: kill them if they were a commoner or challenge them to a duel if they were a member of the nobility. During the centuries prior to the Imperial Era, the situation had become more civilized and a commoner would no longer be slain on the spot. Dueling was outlawed by the Empire but still took place behind the scenes in secret. Duels were typically conducted with blasters set to either stun or kill depending on the seriousness of the offense and the level of house involvement. Each duelist would select a second and agree a suitably isolated place and a time for the confrontation. The house leaderships were aware of the continuation of the tradition of dueling but they officially pretended that they were not and would only investigate if the duelists became too obvious to ignore. Fortunately the practice of dueling was rare enough that the Imperial law enforcement agencies did not feel obligated to intervene. Dueling was also an activity practiced by a group of Tapani youth who were collectively called Saber rakes because of their use of lightfoils.